Gandhi's plan to prevent another siege

ByReutersMay 25, 1988

Amritsar, India
— Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi has approved a plan to prevent separatist Sikh gunmen from again taking over the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine of the Sikh faith, senior Indian political sources said on Tuesday. The plan, costing an estimated $42 million, would involve the demolition of up to 700 buildings within 130 feet of the walkway surrounding the temple's inner sanctuary. This would create an open, more easily policed area.

The area slated for clearing is considerably smaller than in previous proposals to impose security on the vast temple complex.

During the last few years, the complex has become headquarters for militant groups waging a bloody campaign for an independent Sikh homeland they call Khalistan (Land of the Pure) in the northern state of Punjab.

Police are determined to prevent a repetition of the 10-day siege of the temple earlier this month that ended with the surrender of the Sikh militants to a commando-led paramilitary force of more than 2,000 men.